In our society, excellence has become a goal to obtain, a test score to achieve, a set of rules to follow or a value to have. But where is the standard? Every teacher...
Conversational parenting is both spontaneous and purposeful. Life and connection do happen in the margins of life, where little planning occurs, but being purposeful also helps communication immensely. Consider these two scenarios: Scenario...
"C'mon, Mom, you can break the law! There are no cars for miles."My 11-year-old son cajoled me to run the red light...
We must drink. Or die. Yet, dare I confess? Too often, miserably too often, I don't want to drink from His cup. I thirst for God's goodnesses. I pant for his blessings. But...
Earlier in Genesis, we were introduced to Joseph the self-centered young man who dreamt of his own glory. He delighted in being the favored son of his father, angering his brothers with his...
Where can you fail two thirds of the time and still be wildly successful? Why, Major League Baseball: Where a .333 batting average can land you in the hall of fame! Just picture...
Back in Genesis 37, when Joseph's brothers plotted to kill him, Judah suggested an alternative plan. Rather than murdering their brother, he suggested that they sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites as a...
Communication is such a complicated thing. Mostly because we often don't say what we mean. We say what we think others want to hear. We say one thing and hope people hear something...
I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it...
Pastors are well aware of the massive disconnect between Sunday and Monday for most believers. A domesticated "housebroken" Gospel has turned the Church into a domesticated "housedog"—a state, in...
An oilman discovered that someone was slant-drilling—illegally extracting oil from his property. When the oilman took his case to court, the other...
I've never thought of work as "trinitarian," but Howard Butt is right. If we live out a calling and not just a job, the Father’s leadership style is extended by our hands. If...
Do you think it's okay to pray about a business decision?" The guy who asked me this question was considering a merger...
Throughout the story of Joseph's encounter with his brothers, he seemed to be toying with them. In Chapter 42, his heart was touched when his brothers expressed remorse for having mistreated Joseph...
The story of Joseph overflows with self-centeredness, beginning with Joseph's dreams, continuing through his brothers' treachery, right up to Jacob's self-absorbed response to his sons' report....
In the Plan A world, we wouldn't sin at all, period. But that world remains in God's future for us.In the Plan B world, our sinful acts would be quickly followed by Spirit-inspired...
When famine ravaged the land of Canaan, Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt so that they might buy grain . . . the same ten sons who once sold Joseph into...
Joseph chose names for his sons that expressed his gratitude to God and his effort to make sense of his life. His second son was named Ephraim, which Joseph related to the Hebrew...
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It would be hard to imagine a more meteoric rise to power. One moment Joseph was languishing in prison, wondering when God will deliver him. The next moment he was interpreting Pharaoh's dreams....
